Peppermint Frosting

‘Tis the season for all things minty, at least that’s how I feel. I had a holiday order for cupcakes recently, and I suggested chocolate cupcakes with peppermint frosting to the client. It didn’t take any persuading.

This is a super simple peppermint buttercream that you can use to top your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, this one is mine.

I used half butter and half shortening in this because I was concerned that using all butter wouldn’t hold its shape as long – we had a freak warm spell here in L.A. recently. However, if you’d rather use all shortening or all butter, I’d recommend you go for the shortening. You can use all butter if you like, but I feel that the neutral flavor of the shortening really helps the mint shine through. My two cents.

What are you sitting around for? Go find some cupcakes to frost!

PEPPERMINT FROSTING – enough for 12 cupcakes

1 cup shortening (or half cup butter, half cup shortening)

2.5 cups powdered sugar

3/4 tsp peppermint extract (can add a little more to taste, if you like)

Cream together your shortening, or butter and shortening, in the bowl of a mixer. Once those two are mostly combined, add the mint extract and mix some more.

Then add in the powdered sugar. I’d add it in smaller batches, just so you don’t have sugar dust flying everywhere.

That’s it! Now you’re ready to frost away!

And feel free to decorate for the season. I used my meat tenderizer to smash up a couple of candy canes in a plastic bag, and voila!